To the Editor:

Criticism isn’t always "hate." Unless that’s what you believe it to be.

When your parents or a priest told you not to be selfish, did you think they hated you? Or when your teachers told you to stop fooling around and follow the rules? Or when your spouse asked you to be more considerate? When police officers gave you a ticket for breaking the law, did you think they hated you?

I would hope not. But that’s the way former President Trump views the world. He takes recommendations, suggestions or accusations of wrongdoing (aka criticism) as an assault to be met with aggressive retaliation. That’s a problem if you’re the US President who sits in the hot seat of political scrutiny, commentary and analysis; which will be relentless and sometimes vicious. Past presidents expected it, ignored it and dealt with it graciously. But Trump, with a bruised ego, became defensive and whined about witch hunts and people hating him.

Trump mistakenly thought being elected president was a popularity contest. His rallies and press conferences were occasions to brag about his greatness and attack anyone who didn’t think so. I criticized him for aggrandizing himself, instead of paying attention to his presidential responsibility and caring about the people of America. But not because I hated him. I pointed out his self-centered disdain for the rules and any protocol he didn’t feel like following because it was hurting our country.

Unfortunately, Trump’s followers think like him; that any source of criticism must be someone who hates him and them. I pointed out that his followers were replicating his rude, bullying behavior and his dislike of immigrants, Blacks or other religions. I pointed out how he incited a toxic divide between Republicans and Democrats, introducing belligerence and fear-mongering to the pages of social media. Not because I hated Trump. But because of how his influence has brought turmoil and discord to this nation.

If the haters of Democrats could see past their anger that someone doesn’t like Trump as much as they do, maybe they’d understand why 81.2M voters determined that an overly egotistical man isn’t a good fit for the White House. And then we could all move beyond this Trump obsession.

Martha Hodges
Massena